


Mysterious Music

by LonelyLittleShips



Series: I can't think of a name (pretend I'm clever) [1]
Category: Milo Murphy's Law
Genre: Idiots in Love, Light Angst, M/M, Paranormal Investigators, Sprinkleprompts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-07
Updated: 2020-07-07
Packaged: 2021-03-04 18:34:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,010
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25130974
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LonelyLittleShips/pseuds/LonelyLittleShips
Summary: Someone is playing sorrowful music late at night in the same cornfields where Cavendish and Dakota picked up alien trash. Now, theyre going back to investigate.Written with three prompt words given by @sprinkledcupcake I kind of went a little overboard, this prompt was supposed to cap around 1k. Oops.
Relationships: Balthazar Cavendish & Vinnie Dakota, Balthazar Cavendish/Vinnie Dakota
Series: I can't think of a name (pretend I'm clever) [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2119932
Comments: 25
Kudos: 59





	1. It's Not Garbage

“Would you hurry up, Dakota! You know Mr. Block always calls at exactly nine A.M, I want us looking professional and ready for today's assignment!” The older gentleman in the room chided as he straightened the cuffs of his olive green suit and donned his top-hat. 

“Yeah, yeah.” The other replied casually, sloppily spooning huge mouthfuls of cereal into his mouth while slouched on their lumpy old couch. Aside from his Elvis style aviators he was wearing only boxers and an undershirt. “I donno why you care so much, we’re garbage collectors now. Who ever heard of a garbage collector who wears a five piece suit?” 

His partner bristled at that. “One who takes pride in their appearance regardless of their station!” He remarked sourly, “Unlike _you.”_ Despite his partner’s very disapproving tone the younger man wasn't phased, he actually smiled at the glare. He knew the blush of his partners cheeks wasn't related to his displeasure (oh no, he was nowhere near angry enough for that), he knew by the way those intense aqua eyes lingered just a beat too long, by the twitch of his mustache and by the way he turned his back all too quickly to make up for it.

He didn’t say anything about that though. 

“Yeah, well I just don't see a reason to need to spend twenty minutes getting dressed, especially not when that twenty minutes can be used for sleeping, or better yet eating!” He countered easily, setting his bowl aside and pulling on his bright orange, yellow and red tracksuit. “See, Cav, that took me like...thirty seconds.” Though his partner hadn't actually seen, since he still stood with his back turned.

“That means you still have a minute to put your bowl away before he calls.” He snipped. 

An eye roll later it was done.

...

“Hellllooo boys, ready for today’s assignment? I think you’re going to like it.” Chimed the ever pleasant and quietly enthusiastic Bob Block. 

Dakota and Cavendish shared a look that clearly stated they thought otherwise. “Oh, now boys, there’s no need for looks like _that,_ you should be excited, this is your first non-refuse related assignment!” The two former time-travellers instantly perked up. “That's right! I’ve chosen you because you’re familiar with the location, this is the perfect opportunity for you to prove yourselves as the capable agents I know you are!” 

“Oh! Yes sir! We will do our very best!” Cavendish replied excitedly. Dakota smiled widely as well, but it was more because his partner was so enthused, rather than the news about their assignment. “We won’t let you down Mr. Block!” 

“That’s what I like to hear, I’ve just sent your encrypted digital dossier,” -There was a ding from Cavendish’s pocket- “now get out there and don't forget to have fuuunn!”

“Thank you sir!” They barked as their boss hung up. 

“Ya know, I like this Mr. Block a lot more, but he also kinda creeps me out.” Dakota remarked. 

“Yes I do agree, there is something a bit unnerving about him but at least he doesn't yell at us.” Cavendish said as he pulled out the communicator.

“So, what’s the mission?” Dakota asked, standing on tip-toe and leaning in _very_ close so that the two were pressed up together while he eyed the tiny communicator screen.

“I um...oh! It looks like we’re to go back to Mr. Jenkins’ corn field!” Cavendish was distracted from Dakota’s behaviour by the contents of the dossier, taking a long moment to silently read through it. “Interesting, this does seem like the ideal mission for us.” 

“What? What is it?!” Dakota was genuinely curious now and pressed himself even tighter against his partner, both to provoke him and because he was actually trying to see the screen. 

“Dakota _please,_ personal space!” Cavendish groused, stepping away quickly and causing Dakota to have to catch himself. He wanted to make some kind of comeback about how Cavendish invaded _his_ space all the time, but he probably didn't even know he did it. 

“Well then tell me what the freakin’ mission is more than just ‘the corn field’!” He retorted.

“It seems there’s been reports of mysterious music coming from the area, the farmers have searched the fields when it’s been happening and found nothing. The source seems to move without showing any damage or trace in the crops.” Cavendish explained. 

“Does it say anything else? What kind of music it is?” 

“No.” 

...

Mr Jenkins’ farm was several hours away. Before actually heading there they made several stops, one of which was at the P.I.G weapons facility. They managed to secure authorization for taser guns, tether guns and parabolic listening equipment, as well as some long distance walkies with earpieces (“We’re finally getting earpieces! It’s about time eh, Cav?”). 

Their next stop was Slushie Dawg, because once they left the city there wouldn’t be anywhere to get food and for Dakota that simply would not do. 

“Welcome to Slushie Dawg, may I take your order?” A cheerful teenage voice came through the speaker. 

“I donno if you can _take_ my order, but you can _borrow_ it!” Dakota quipped, continuing a running joke between the two. Cavendish rolled his eyes at that. 

“Dakota! Hi! The usual?” The teenager replied with a friendly recognition.

“Ayyy Jeremy! We’ve got a big mission today so make it double, and add a large frozen chai frappe.” 

“Ooh, that sounds exciting! Pull up to the next window please!” 

“Wait a chai frappe?” Cavendish asked with a curious expression. 

“Yeah, it’s for you.” Dakota shrugged as he pulled up to the payment window. “It’s new, says it’s spiced tea, you like that, right?” 

Cavendish smiled, “Yes, I do, that was quite thoughtful of you, Dakota.” 

Dakota shrugged, “It’s probably gonna be a long day, so I figured it would be nice to have a little something extra.”

They headed off to the farm after a brief chat with Jeremy. They passed the time with idle conversation, pondering what kind of music it might be, what the cause might be and how they would tackle it. 

“What if it _is_ an alien, like that one from that movie, you know, dee-eee-cee-cee-gee.” Dakota theorized, humming the iconic notes.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Cavendish remarked as he finished his drink. 

“Really? We’ll have to watch it sometime! It’s a classic! It’s from the _seventies!”_ Cavendish shook his head, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. 

“Perhaps we should make a date of it.” Cavendish said casually. 

Dakota nearly swerved off the road.

“Dakota! What the blazes!” Cavendish yelped, grabbing his hat with one hand and the panic handle with the other. 

“Ah...sorry, there was uh...something in the road!” he excused quickly, his face feeling a bit flushed. 

“Really? I didn't see anything,” Cavendish wondered as he peeked into the rearview mirror, “you really must be more careful!” He was stern, but there was a clear undertone of concern.

“Right, yeah sure thing Cav.” Dakota replied dismissively, “But uh, yeah we should _pick_ a date to watch the movie, how about we watch it when we complete the mission?” 

“That’s a marvellous idea, I’m sure we’ll want to relax, and we can order food, pizza perhaps!” Dakota loved how enthusiastic Cavendish was, it made his stomach tingle pleasantly. 

“Sounds great.” 

“It’s a date then!” 

_Crab on a cracker, Cav._

...

Cavendish pressed the buzzer at Mr. Jenkins security gate, then held his hands behind his back, impatiently bobbing from the balls to the heel of his feet.

“I’m not gettin’ you a large again, you’re all fidgety.” Dakota observed.

“I’m just excited it’s our-” 

He was cut off by the old T.V monitor crackling to life. “Whozere?” Mr. Jenkins asked, fuzzy picture appearing on the tiny screen. 

“Hello Mr. Jenkins! We are the agents from the Paranormal Investigation Group, or P.I.G, we’re here to investigate the mysterious music reported in the area!” Cavendish explained with cordial enthusiasm. 

“Wait jus’ one corn shuckin’ minute, you fellers look fermiliar!” 

“Yeah, that’s ’cause we’ve been here before.” Dakota piped, “You didn’t let us in last time.” 

“Well this time I will, the music’s pretty n’ all but I’m gettin’ tired of it!” 

There was a loud, sharp buzz and the gate retracted. “C’mon in.” 

The two looked at each other in a brief exchange of mutual uncertainty, then crossed the threshold. Dakota walked very closely beside Cavendish. So close that their hands bumped together, or at least, they would have if it weren’t for the height difference. As it was, Cavendish’s fingers just brushed Dakota's cuffs and Dakota found himself wishing, more than he ever had, that he was taller. 

“Really now Dakota, _must_ you walk so closely beside me?” 

“Yes.” he answered simply and firmly. 

Cavendish was clearly taken aback, but replied only with a soft, “Well, alright then.”

They walked down the lane in silence, it was much longer than they expected it to be. “Shoulda just drove in.” Dakota grumbled. 

“Dakota, something’s off, we’re supposed to be here investigating music, but I haven't heard a single note, in fact it’s rather eerily silent.” the older man pointed out, glancing nervously around the surrounding corn fields.

“You’re right, there aren’t even any crows or little songbirds or anything.” Dakota agreed, “I wonder if it's anything to do with the music?” 

“We’ll just have to ask Mr. Jenkins.” Cavendish noted as he wrote it down in his fancy little memo book. Dakota gave a quiet huff of amusement, his partner took his eighteen-seventies lifestyle commitments quite seriously, though he no longer had any obligation to do so. 

“Hey Cav?” Dakota began, “I think one of us, or both of us, should turn around and go get the van. This is a lot longer than we thought and we’re gonna need our equipment, you know?” 

“Yes, I do agree. I’ll run back. I’m faster, and fitter.” Normally something like that coming from Cavendish would come with a severe tone of superiority but today he was simply stating it as a matter of fact.

“Wait you’re gonna run...All the way back to the van? You can run that far?” Dakota asked incredulously.

“Oh, well, I might tire out a bit before I make it _all_ the way there but I think I can make it most of the way.” Cavendish reasoned, stretching and warming up for his run. “The payoff of a healthy lifestyle! I’ll be back as soon as I can!” He promised as Dakota handed him the keys. 

“I hope so, this place is giving me the willies!” Dakota called after his partner as he took off. Cavendish’s long, slender legs carried him away quickly and efficiently, he hoped his partner’s terrible propensity to be clumsy held off for the duration of his run.

…

“Dakota, what in the world are you doing? I almost drove right past you!” 

“Wha…?” Dakota blinked up at the looming form of Cavendish. “Oh hey, I got bored and decided to lie down, guess I dozed off,” he admitted sheepishly. 

“Yes well, you'd better brush yourself off thoroughly before you get in, don’t want to be bringing dirt into a work vehicle.” Cavendish demanded. 

Dakota rolled his eyes but complied without complaint, not hesitating at the opportunity which had presented itself. He removed his jacket, and batted it out a few times before putting it back on. He turned himself ever so slightly away from Cavendish and began to brush off his butt enthusiastically. After a bit of a show of it he bent at the waist and pushed his butt out, “Hey Cav, all clean? Not gonna dirty up the van am I?” It was hard to keep the teasing out of his voice. 

“Yes, that’s _quite_ enough.” How Cavendish was able to keep his voice from betraying him Dakota would never know. It didn’t matter though, since his eyes, his twitching mustache and the blush that crept across his pale cheeks all had traitorous intent. 

He stifled a giggle when he heard Cavendish grumbling something about “insufferable” as they climbed into the van. 

….

“Finally jeeze, this was like...the world’s longest driveway, the farmer is gonna wonder what took us so long.” Dakota said as the old farm house and several large barns finally came into view. Mr. Jenkins called out to them from the veranda as they approached.

“Yuh finally made it, I wuz beginnin’ t’think ya mighta been ab-ducted.” Farmer Jenkins drawled. “You guys ain't really what I was’spectin’.” He commented as they got out of the van.

“Oh? And what exactly were you expecting?” Cavendish inquired, already seeming ruffled by the comment. 

“Well yanno, guys in all black, fancy suits n’ sunglasses.”

Cavendish crossed his arms and quirked an eyebrow, ruffle giving way to indignation. “Are you saying my suit isn't _fancy?”_ His suit was undoubtedly fancy, though it was distinctly “Victorian gentleman” and not “covert government agent”.

“Yeah, an’ I got the sunglasses.” Dakota added, copying Cavendish and crossing his own arms. “Now can we get on with this? ’Cause I’m startin’ to get real hungry.” 

Cavendish rolled his eyes at that, but Dakota could tell he was relieved by the way his arms uncrossed and his body relaxed. 

“All right, c’mon inside. You fellers like corn?”

“So,” Cavendish started, looking over his notes, “the music only happens at _night,_ it is exclusively _violin_ music, it’s very _classical_ sounding and also extremely _skillful.”_

Mr Jenkins nodded. “Yep, but it’s not like no music I heard before, I don’t recignize any a’ th’ songs.” 

“Hey, what about the missing birds, why’s it so quiet out there?” Dakota asked, pausing from his butter drenched corn on the cob. “This is delicious by the way, Cav you should really try it!” 

Cavendish wrinkled his nose, “No, I’m quite alright thank you.” 

“Wut, you dun like corn?” Mr Jenkins asked suspiciously. 

“He thinks it’s stupid.” Dakota shrugged. Cavendish glared at him.

“WAT!?” The farmer exploded. “How dare you!? Ged’offa my farm n’ never come back you varmints!” He leapt from his chair with surprising sprightliness and the two agents fled at full speed, tipping their chairs and scrambling to get to the van. 

…

“I can’t believe you brought the corn!” Cavendish lamented once they had gotten well enough away from the old farmers property, “And I can’t believe you told that corn farmer I think corn is stupid!” 

“Well it's the truth, you said so last time!” Dakota defended.

Cavendish bumped his head against the steering wheel in despair. “Now what are we going to do? Mr. Block will be so disappointed!” Dakota knew in reality that Block probably wouldn't care that much, no, this was simply Cavendish projecting hid own feelings onto their boss. He kept the thought to himself though. 

“Don't worry about it, we got our info. Besides, all we gotta do is sneak back at night once the music starts, no big deal!” He chucked the finished corn cob out the window and licked his fingers. 

Cavendish made a nervous sound but tentatively agreed. “What are we going to do until nightfall? If we had known the music was only at night we could have left much later. Should we just drive back to the city and return later - Dakota, are you listening?” 

Dakota was fiddling with his phone, “Yeah, sorry, I’m just trying to check something but my phone isn’t getting any data out here. Can I use the communicator?” 

Cavendish huffed, but nonetheless handed it over. “If you’re really listening then give me some input, it would be a lot of driving and this beast isn’t exactly fuel efficient.” Cavendish was clearly feeling anxious about the unexpected change in plans. 

“Hey relax, work pays gas comp anyway, but that doesn’t matter ’cause I’ve got a better idea.” Dakota replied confidently. “Start driving.”


	2. A mini ditch day, kind of

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is where Cav gets kinda upset.

“A berry farm?” Cavendish asked, bemused as they pulled up to a laneway with a multitude of handwritten signs announcing what was in season and available.

“Yeah!” Dakota confirmed enthusiastically, “You like healthy stuff and I  _ love  _ food, so I figured while we’re out here we may as -” 

“Dakota, what a wonderful idea!” Dakota was shocked as an excited Cavendish suddenly gave him a very awkward hug by leaning across and pulling him close, long arms wrapping around Dakotas head.

“Hold off on that ’til we’re outta the car, okay?” He chuckled, “I wanna get to appreciate it properly.” 

_ There's that blush. _

They had a fantastic time picking berries. They filled themselves up on tarts and other treats throughout the day, petting the animals at the petting zoo area and even going on a hayride. 

By the time they were finished they had collected several baskets of strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and one Dakota had never heard of called stationberry. They left the farm a few hours before sunset, both feeling rather tuckered out from their unplanned adventure. 

“We should go berry picking again sometime, that was a lot more fun than I was expecting.” Dakota bubbled as they put their baskets in the van. 

“It was a great time, reminds me of the ditch day we had, when we tried to see now many things we could squeeze into one day.” Cavendish reminisced. 

“Haha yeah! We did what? Thirteen different things? Fourteen if you count destroying those pistachio trees!” Dakota laughed, that day was one of the best days of his life, he was glad Cavendish also held it in high regards, despite the fact that he had some pretty serious mishaps during the course of it. 

“Let's go find a good place to park and get some shut-eye for a few hours until sunset, we need to be well rested for tonight.” Cavendish said as he buckled up and started the van.

Dakotas' smile faded as he thought about that. “I know it’s risky, but I feel like we should go back closer to Jenkins’ place, these roads are confusing and creepy even in the day, I don’t wanna get lost at night.” 

“Mmm...yes, I see your point, perhaps one of his neighbours will be a bit more welcoming.” 

…

They turned down the nearest driveway to Mr. Jenkins, it had no gate of any sort, simply a mailbox and a number. The driveway there was also much shorter and they soon came upon an old fashioned barnyard with a host of different animals. 

“How quaint!” Cavendish remarked, “Much more pleasant than Jenkins’ place.” 

A friendly looking man, much larger and somewhat younger than Mr. Jenkins approached them with a curious expression. “Hello there, can I help you fellas?” 

“Hello, I am Cavendish and this is my partner Dakota, we’re paranormal in-” 

“OH! You’re here about the music! Should have figured.” He said cheerfully, “It’s not going to start for a while yet but you’re welcome to look around until then if you like.” He offered. 

“That’s very kind of you but we actually just need a place to park while we get some rest and conduct our investigation.” Cavendish explained as they got out of the van. 

“Oh, of course, no problem, you can sleep in the hayloft if you want, my nephew has a whole setup up there for when him and his friends visit. My name’s Cornelius by the way.” 

“Nice to meet you.” Dakota and Cavendish said in turn as they shook hands. “We actually have a nifty little setup in the van so no need for the loft, thank you for the offer though.” Cavendish explained. 

The farmer cocked an eyebrow at the old cargo van then shrugged, “Suit yourselves.”

As he walked away Cavendish began arranging the items in the back to make room for the inflatable mattress they would share. “Hey Cav, maybe we should check out that loft? Kind of adventurous isn't it? Sleeping in an old hay barn, probably a lot comfier than the van.” 

Cavendish grumbled, “I don't see how sleeping on a pile of hay can be better than sleeping on air, we’d probably just end up all scratched up and itchy.” 

“Well let’s at least go check it out!” Dakota urged, prodding him  _ very  _ gently with an elbow. “Please, I never went berry picking before and I’ve never slept in a barn! I really wanna try it!” 

“Since when have you ever wanted to try sleeping in a barn?” Cavendish asked, shutting the cargo door. 

“Since I have the chance to! Come  _ on!”  _ He wanted badly to grab Cavendish by the hand and drag him, but Cavendish being Cavendish, he knew that would cross the line so he simply tugged at his jacket instead. 

“Alright, alright! Stop pulling at my sleeve, you are such a  _ child  _ sometimes!” Cavendish grumbled, following along but dragging his feet while Dakota was practically running to get to the barn. 

“Woah this is a big barn!” Dakota called as he went inside. “Awe there’s goats! And oh my gosh is that a cow!? And a horse! Hi everybody!” 

Cavendish poked his head inside and quickly pinched his nose. “Disgusting! There’s no way I’m sleeping in such filth! Foul stench, I’ve never smelled anything so-” 

“Okay I may be acting like a  _ child  _ but you’re acting like a  _ diva,  _ now come on! Cornelius said  _ loft,  _ that means  _ above  _ the animals!” Dakota retorted, looking around for anything ladder-like and quickly spotting one built right into the barn’s structure. He eagerly climbed up, excited to see what the loft looked like. 

...

“Murphy!” Dakota cried suddenly, startling Cavendish who had  _ finally  _ made his way up to the loft. 

“What?”

“This place! It’s Milo and his friends’ place! You know, that makes total sense!” Dakota gushed as Cavendish joined him to see what he was looking at. 

There was a small collage of polaroids stuck to the side of a tiny (smaller even than their own) mini-fridge. “They were the weirdos running around in the cornfield the last time we were here! What are the odds of that!”

Cavendish snorted, “With  _ Murphy?” _

“Yeah...even money.” Dakota conceded. “Hey you don't think they've got anything to do with the music to you?” 

Cavendish pondered the idea. “Mmmno, I don’t, there isn’t enough destruction for that. Besides, as far as I know neither he nor his friends play the violin.”

“Yeah. Well, we’ll figure it out soon enough. C’mon, let’s hit the hay! Get it, ’cause it’s a pile of hay?” Dakota joked as he flopped onto the blanket-covered makeshift hay-bale bed that the kids had arranged. 

“I  _ get _ it.” Cav grumbled, his expression turning sour as he looked at the “bed” and crossed his arms. 

Dakota frowned at Cavendish’s distasteful expression. “Hey, if you really don’t wanna sleep up here it’s fine, I can’t force you. It's actually pretty comfy though.” 

“I…” Cavendish started but an indecisive tension seemed to have overtaken him, Dakota cocked an eyebrow,  _ there’s the blush, _ what in the world was he so flustered about now? 

Dakota sighed and ran a hand over his face. “What? What’s the matter? Spit it out ’cause I really wanna get some sleep.” He had to put some effort in to hide that he was starting to feel rather grumpy with his companions' antics, getting him to go up to the loft at all had really tested both their patience. 

Cavendish didn’t seem to notice Dakota’s frustration, he didn’t even seem to notice that he had asked a question. He was too caught up with his own indecisiveness. Whatever was making him so uncertain, it was a big deal for him. 

“Cavendish!” Dakota barked sharply, startling the older man, who looked at him with a pained expression. “What’s wrong? Why are you freaking out? I already told you, if you want to nap in the van go nap in the van,  _ I don’t care.” _

That last bit seemed to snap Cavendish out of whatever self preservation was holding him back. “Well I  _ do!”  _

Now it was Dakota’s turn to be startled. 

Cavendish drew a sharp breath, and confessed. “I-don’t-want-to-sleep-in-the-hay, but-I-don’t-want-to-make-you-sleep-in-the-van-and-I-know-its-stupid-but-I…” His tumbling words suddenly faltered, he looked as if he were about to cry. “I don’t want to sleep...away from you.” 

Dakota felt his mouth drop open. He felt his stomach somersault, he felt his own face flush, he felt like his brain had just short circuited. 

Finally, after a much too long moment of tension you could cut with a knife, Dakota was able to collect himself. Sort of. He simply pushed all the implications and depth of Cavendis’s admission to the side,  _ worries for another day _ as the fraggles would say. This was enough, this was far more than enough.

“How about this,” He started calmly, “Come and just  _ try  _ the hay bales. I know you don’t want to, but trying new things is important, and if you really can’t bear it, then we’ll  _ both  _ go to the van. Sound fair?” 

Dakota could tell that Cavendish wanted to feel patronized, wanted to be affronted, wanted  _ something  _ to let him vent the strain of such an admission. His face had the same panicked look he’d had when he put his office chair through the communicator console screen. Dakota stood up and took off his jacket, half-folding half-crumpling it into a sort of pillow and offering it to him. 

“Dakota what-?” Cavendish began to ask but Dakota cut him off. 

“Yell.” 

“Wha…” 

“Just do it!” 

_ Wowza he's got some pipes. _

“Better?” Dakota asked as his very red faced partner handed back his jacket. 

“I...yes, quite.” Cavendish replied, sounding much calmer, but clearly feeling rueful. “How...how did you know I needed that?” 

Dakota shrugged, throwing his jacket back on, “Seen you yell into Dennis often enough,” He explained, referring to the older man's beloved teddy bear, “Dennis isn't here, so I just used what I had on hand.” He smiled as Cavendish’s eyes went wide. “Now, are you ready to lie down? ’Cause you seem exhausted.” 

………….

Cavendish woke first. He always woke first. He always slept more soundly than his partner, whose nightmares made him toss and turn, mutter and moan. They had lessened though, when the two of them had stopped time travelling, they had lessened even more when they had been forced to start sharing a bed. 

None of that mattered now. It didn’t even matter that he had woken up curled around his partner, an arm holding him close. He told himself that the faint smell of coconut in Dakota’s hair didn’t matter and that he wasn’t trying on purpose to inhale it when he sighed. It also didn't matter that he had admitted to his partner that he didn't want to sleep alone, like some sort of frightened child. 

He always let go before Dakota woke up. He always slid away and felt his heart reprimand him as Dakotas sleep would turn from peaceful to tumultuous. Even when Dakota’s sleep stayed peaceful, which sometimes it did, Cavendish still felt he was betraying his own heart. Deep down he knew Dakota would be fine with it, not just with the cuddling, but with his deeper feelings as well and yet still he was too much of a coward to admit it. 

He was interrupted from his thoughts by the sorrowful sound of a violin solo carrying through the still night air. “By joves beard! The music! Dakota, wake up!” Cavendish shouted, shaking his partner aggressively. 

Dakota shot up with a yelp, “Whasswrong! S’monster?!” 

“No you dolt, it’s the music!” Cavendish retorted.

“Oh, ’satall?” Dakota muttered groggily then fell back to the hay. 

_ “Dakota!  _ Our mission!” Cavendish whined, using the light from the communicator to find one of the kids’ battery powered camping lanterns and turn it onto the brightest setting.

Dakota’s face scrunched at the intrusion of light and he sprang up again, properly awake now, “Gah! The music! What time’s it?” 

“The witching hour. We slept much longer than we should have.” Cavendish informed him, slipping on his tailcoat.

“Witching hour? Cav what does that even mean?” 

Cavendish rolled his eyes, of course he wouldn’t know that. “It means it's one in the morning.”

“You shoulda just said that.” Dakota grumbled, rubbing the sleep from his eyes then getting up with an exaggerated stretch and yawn. “Alright, lets go catch this mysterious musician!”


	3. in which they finally get to the investigation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cav freaking out some more.

“It really is pretty.” Dakota commented absentmindedly as they walked to the van. “Kinda sounds sad though - woah!” He cut himself off as he looked skywards Then quickly twisted the knob on the lantern to dim it.

“Dakota? What? What is it?” Cavendish asked worriedly as he mirrored his partner, gazing upwards. He expected to see something odd but there was nothing except...“The stars?” He asked softly, he was honestly surprised Dakota could even _see_ the stars, he was still wearing his sunglasses. 

Dakota nodded. “It’s been awhile since I’ve seen the sky so clear, seeing so many stars, it’s kind of like seeing old friends.” 

Cavendish looked at his partner, Dakota never ceased to surprise him. “What are you on about?” he asked. It came out much sharper than he’d intended, but maybe it needed to be, they had work to do after all. 

“Nothing.” Dakota replied wistfully, pulling his gaze away slowly as if he were looking away from someone he truly loved. “Let’s get geared up!” He said suddenly, and threw the cargo door open. Cavendish could tell he was trying to sound like his usual perky self, but he didn't quite get there. There was something truly enigmatic under the bubbly surface of Vinnie Dakota.

“Do you know how to use this thing?” Cavendish asked as he fiddled with the parabolic mic. 

“Yeah, here, I’ll set it up, you check the gas pressure on the tether guns.” Dakota suggested as he put on the headphones and began to fiddle around with it. 

“Do you think we’re going to need the tasers?” Cavendish asked nervously. He felt decidedly uncomfortable about using a weapon that could potentially be lethal. 

“Not sure, but don't worry about it, I’ll use the taser, you just the tether gun, they aren’t nearly as dangerous.” Dakota reassured him with easy confidence. Cavendish was surprised again, was Dakota really okay with the possibility of electrocuting someone? He looked relaxed as he geared up, putting on a belt with holsters for the guns. Cavendish found his thoughts wandering again to all the things he didn't know about his partner.

“C’mon Cav, what’re ya doin?” He asked, waving a hand at him. “You’re the one who’s supposed to be rip roaring to go. You're not scared are you?” Dakota’s tone was nothing but soft concern, genuine worry for his partner’s well being. Of course it was, he was Dakota, the man who had sacrificed his timeline hundreds of times for him.

Of course him being afraid was how it would seem. First not wanting to sleep alone, and now, acting spooked while gearing up, he gave himself a little shake. “I’m not afraid! I’m just...not particularly confident about shooting, that’s all.” 

“It's alright, there’s a laser guide on it, just point the light and pull the trigger. They’re never completely accurate, but should be close enough.” Dakota pointed the tether gun at the ground and a red spot appeared, “You’ll be fine.” He climbed into the van so he could snack on some of the berries.

Cavendish buckled his own belt, slipping the tether gun into the holster, he looked at the taser warily, then slipped it into place on his belt. As uncomfortable as he was about using it, he was much more uncomfortable about not being able to protect himself, or worse yet, Dakota.

“So, what's the plan? How are we doing this?” Dakota asked through a mouthful of stationberries. 

“Don’t speak with your mouth full.” The chiding slipped from him nearly automatically. He felt a bit of a knot in his stomach, what was the plan? He took a deep breath, _just break it down._ “First we’re going to...to use the microphone to find which way to go.” Dakota nodded, “And then...we’ll follow the sound into the cornfield, then when we find the source...we will both shoot our tethers...if that's not enough to subdue it then...” He faltered, not wanting to think about what Dakota might have to do. 

“Then I tase it.” His partner finished for him, completely unfazed. “One thing you missed, we should wear our night vision goggles.” He popped one last strawberry into his mouth and hopped out of the van. “You wanna use the mic, or should I?” He asked as they synched the channel on the two-ways and put on their earpieces, each slipping a large mag-light into their belt. 

“I will.” Cavendish tried to sound confident, but really he had no idea how to use this kind of microphone. He switched it on, put the headphones on and pointed to where the music seemed to be coming from. He got the hang of it quickly, and _finally_ , they were ready to get down to the nitty-gritty. 

They walked to the road, mostly in silence, the world bathed in eerie greenish grey through the filter of the night vision lenses. As they came to the end of the lane Cavendish pointed off to the left, Dakota nodded and they followed along the fenceline. After about ten minutes walking Cavendish stopped so suddenly that Dalota bumped into him with a surprised “Oof.” 

“What’s the matter?” He whispered, but Cavendish simply waved a hand to silence him. He closed his eyes as the familiar notes filled his ears. It was a song he had an utterly intimate connection with, one he hadn’t heard for quite some time. Something about it was a bit off, it wasn’t that it was being played imperfectly, more like it was just ever so _slightly_ different. 

He could tell Dakota was trying to get his attention, but he couldn’t pull himself away from that familiar-yet-different music. It was like he stepped into a slightly different reality, something that absolutely shouldn't be there was _there_ , it was perfect in it’s own way and yet completely _wrong_. 

Cavendish suddenly felt an overwhelming horror creep into him. A fear that was different from any he had ever known. This didn’t _belong_ in this place, it didn’t belong in a way far deeper than anything like an alien, or a cryptid or...a time traveler. 

He ran. 

He dropped the microphone and the headphones went with it. His long fingers wrapped themselves around Dakota’s wrist as firmly as a handcuff and he took off. He could hear Dakota yelling with the shock of it, struggling to keep up, losing his breath the further they went. He couldn't stop. He wanted to get into the van and drive away and never come back to this godforsaken place. 

…

It took Dakota several minutes to catch his breath enough to even _try_ to ask what the heck just happened. Cavendish was expecting him to be angry, or disgruntled at least, but he only seemed to be bewildered and concerned. 

“What the heck-” _gasp_ “-was that about?” He finally asked after Cavendish had dragged him into the back of the van and shut them in. The lantern from the loft bathed them both in stark bluish light, it really didn’t help the atmosphere. 

Cavendish had backed himself against the back of the driver's seat and curled up into the fetal position. He too was struggling to catch his breath but not because of the run, he was trying to fight a breakdown. 

Dakota was beside him, he could feel his partners warmth and softness. He could hear him but it was as if his ears were stuffed with cotton. Finally, he managed to lift his head, he found himself staring into brown eyes behind reddish-brown tinted lenses. 

His hearing began to clear up “-ook at me, Cav, are you with me?” 

He was suddenly aware of Dakota's hands on his shoulders, squeezing in that careful manner Dakota always employed when it came to physical contact between the two of them. Cavendish finally managed to take a decent breath. How was he supposed to explain this? He swallowed hard and let his knees relax. 

“You okay?” 

Cavendish considered the question for a beat, then shook his head no. So the two of them sat in silence in the back of the van. He felt so fuzzy and disconnected, he wanted to tell Dakota what had happened, but where to start? 

“Dakota?” He whispered, his throat felt tight and dry.

“Yeah?” 

“Have you...ever kept a journal?” 

Dakota looked at him, clearly confused, but he answered honestly, “Never really was the type, why?” 

Cavendish tried again. “Did you ever have...anything of yours that was...deeply personal, and private, something you’ve never told another soul?” 

Dakota considered that for a moment, Cavendish could tell by the way his face scrunched ever so slightly that he was thinking deeply about it, almost getting lost in his own thoughts on the matter. “Yeah, I do, everybody does don't they?” He could tell the younger man was holding himself back and just wanted to ask what he was getting at. 

He swallowed again, wishing dearly that he had Dennis. “Yes, we all do...and...I - I just heard mine being played to the world.” He curled up again. 

“Wait...what? Cav, I’m trying my best to understand, but I-” 

Cavendish sighed deeply, “Some people keep journals, some do art, I...I wrote music. Music that I never shared, music that I created a hundred and fifty years in the future…” He trailed off. 

“Wait...you _write music?”_

“I _used_ to.” He replied miserably. Dakota didn't say anything more for a long while. When Cavendish finally peeked up at his partner he noticed that his face had a stony expression. It was one he didn’t often see, one reserved for the most serious circumstances, like when the world was in danger, or when someone he cared about was hurt. 

“If you need to sit this one out I’ll take down this creep myself. I’ll tell Mr. Block you did it, so you don’t have to worry about losing credit or anything. I know I'd be a complete wreck myself if someone was running around screaming my deepest darkest secrets.” Dakota sounded _angry._ Hearing Dakota angry was a shock, his usual bubbly personality had become a boil, fueled by the passion he held for the things he cared about. 

“No,” Cavendish managed to steel himself and gather a bit of defiance. “ I...I need to do this. I need to confront this...this... _Creature.”_

Dakota nodded and popped the cargo door. “Let's do it then.” 

...

Even as they marched back down the road to where Cavendish had dropped the mic, Dakota was still processing the fact that Cavendish was apparently a musician and a talented one at that, if the mystery violinist was anything to go by. Why had his partner never told him about it? Of course they had personal things that they didn’t feel comfortable sharing, but why would music be one of those things?

Cavendish found the microphone, thankfully it was undamaged. He heaved a mighty sigh and put the headphones back on. Dakota reached out to him, barely brushing his arm, subtle reassurance that was just what his partner needed. The older man straightened up, gave himself a little shake, and off they went. 

“If we go straight in that’s where it's coming from.” Cavendish whispered. There was a slight break in the field there, the rows were spaced more widely apart, it made sense that the violin-player would have chosen that location. It must have been deep into the field because even with heat detection enabled, neither could spot anything. 

Dakota took the lead.“Let’s split up, you go a few rows left of it, I’ll go a few right. When we get to it we’ll get up past it then shoot from the same direction, toward the road, I don't want us tethering each other by accident.” He could tell the idea of splitting up made his partner very nervous. “We got this Cav, this thing’s goin’ down.”

“How will I know when you’re in position?” 

“GPS on the two-way, it will show you exactly where I am in relation to you. Hopefully we’ll be able to get a visual on it, though the corn fields are pretty dense.” 

Dakota brushed his partner’s arm once more, then they parted ways, nodding at each other before they disappeared into the cornrows. Dakota could tell the music was getting closer as he progressed through the row. He couldn't help all kinds of thoughts popping up, buzzing in his head like little flies trying to distract him from the task at hand. He let them, since at the moment he was just walking down a corn row. One in particular kept buzzing louder than the others: 

_Sad, the music is so sad._

Suddenly he spotted it, through the darkened bars of the corn stalks a small figure stood out, white-hot in a sea of grey. “Cavendish, I’ve got a visual.” his voice was barely more than a breath.

“I see it as well.” Cavendish confirmed, “Should we...do a countdown or something?” he sounded extremely nervous. 

“Listen Cav. That target’s real small. I think we need to fall back to plan B.” 

“Plan B? What plan B? We never made a plan B!” Cavendish replied in a panicked hiss. 

“I’m gonna tackle it.” 

_“What!?”_

“I’m gonna tackle it, you be ready with a flashlight, and probably your taser too, just in case. When I yell ‘now’ you move.” 

Cavendish whimpered. Dakota’s heart hurt for him, he was trying so hard. “You’ve got this Cav, this knob took your music and now we’re gonna take him down.” 

Cavendish swallowed loudly, “I’m ready.”

Dakota carefully squeezed himself through a slight gap in the corn stalks to the next row, he took a deep breath, set himself up as best he could, and sprang out, with a war cry of “CAV NOW!” running as fast as he could, eyes pinned on the ghostly figure. It started running, but its legs were incredibly short. Dakota pounced. The violin went flying and landed with the distinctive “thwunk” of a string instrument hitting the ground. 

Suddenly he could hear Cavendish yelling from under him...and also above him. A raging string of British curses and insults fired at him from one direction, and desperate concern from the other.

“Let me go you deranged lunatic! I haven't done anything wrong!” 

Wait what? 

The body pinned underneath him was soft and fuzzy, but surprisingly muscular, which made sense; the body belonged to a renowned secret agent...who just happened to be a platypus, nothing unusual. Except...from the neck up he possessed an exact replica of Cavendish’s head, down to glasses and top hat (which, much like the violin, had gone flying).

Dakota tore off his goggles, blinking in the brightness of the mag-light that the _real_ Cavendish had trained on them. “Cavenpus?! _You’re_ the mystery musician!?” He pulled his sunglasses from his pocket and slid them on his face. _Ah, much better._ He sat up, positioning himself with a knee pressed into the creatures back. 

“You abomination! How do you know _my music!?”_ Cavendish demanded, “And yes, you have absolutely done wrong! You've trespassed, disturbed the peace, and _stolen intellectual property!”_

“I have no idea what you’re talking about! Please, let me up! I want to make sure my violin is alright!” Cavernous bemoaned. 

Dakota looked at Cavendish, “It’s your call.” 

“Please, can’t we discuss this like civilized gentlemen?” Cavenpus begged.

 _“You’re_ not a gentleman!” Cavendish scoffed. 

Dakota couldn’t help but joke, “Yeah and I’m not a gentleman _or_ civilized! I do wanna get outta here though, Cav, grab the violin.” he instructed as he picked up the creature and slung him under his arm.

“This is most undignified!” he complained. 

“Yeah, well too bad.” Dakota retorted, pulling out his own mag-light and marching intently back to the road. “Here, hang onto this.” He said, picking up the fallen top hat and passing it to Cavenpus, who eagerly took it from him. 

“Your violin seems to be alright, though a little scuffed.” Cavendish said. “Now, you’ve got some explaining to do!” 

Cavenpus sighed. “What do you want me to explain? I have no idea how it is that we wrote the same music. You both know Cavendish and I don’t actually share memories, we do share tastes, interests, general temperament. I don’t know if that alone is enough to explain the similarity of the music.” He sounded completely defeated and was obviously just as confused as cavendish and Dakota. 

“Well, that would explain why it wasn’t exactly the same. I also do not play violin, my instrument of choice was the piano.” 

“Yes, well, the piano isn't exactly portable.”

“Okay, well...that kind of explains the music thing, I guess, but what are you doing out here?” Dakota asked. 

“I got tired of the constant insults and disrespect, so when Murphy and his friends said they were going out to the country I took the opportunity and stowed away. I've been hiding away out here ever since.” 

“Well, that's all well and good, but what are we going to tell our boss? We can’t just hand you over to him!” Cavendish asked irritably. Cavenpus was certainly _weird_ but he was not by any means _paranormal._

“Yeah, though he would probably just completely ignore him or something, he always does that when we find stuff he’s not expecting us to find.” Dakota pointed out. 

Cavendish gave a hum, then a sigh, “I guess we will just have to tell him that we couldn't find anything.” 

“What?! Cavendish, we can't do that! This was supposed to be our big chance!” Dakota argued, he didn't really care that much himself but he knew this was important to his partner. “We’ll figure something out!” 

“How? Mr. Block is going to want evidence! We have nothing except, well, _him!”_ Cavendish lamented, pointing at the hybrid resentfully. 

“See that! That’s exactly why I left in the first place!” the platypus-man cried.

“Shut it!” Dakota snapped, giving him a rough bounce in reprimand. “That’s enough outta both of you. We’ll figure somethin’ out.” 

They walked along in silence for a while after that. All three stewing in their owh variety of displeasure at the situation.

“I have an idea if either of you care to listen.” 

…

“An interdimensional being?” Bob block questioned, his voice only betraying the very sligetest hint of incredulity as he looked over the pictures that Cavendish and Dakota had presented him. “That’s truly _fascinating_ boys, it’s too bad they’re impossible to capture.” Dakota and Cavendish both let out a sigh. “Of course, this means I won’t be able to promote you to full time investigators yet.” He didn’t sound sorry about it at all and Cavendish visibly deflated, “Don’t look so glum boys!”Block soothed, “You’ll get another shot at promotion as soon as another appropriate case comes up.” 

They walked out feeling about as relieved as anyone could after being denied a promotion. It was, of course, a much bigger blow to Cavendish, but he was trying to stay positive about it. Dakota was relieved that still having a chance at promotion seemed to be enough for his partner, who wouldn't stop gushing as he drove them home. Cavendish’s good mood was contagious and soon Dakota couldn’t help joining in with the older man's excitement. 

“We’ll get some rest once we get home, I can tell you’re exhausted Dakota.” Cavendish said quietly after a break in the joviality. “Then later,” he continued, cheeks going rosy and an unusually cheeky smile spreading under his mustache, “we’ll have our date, as promised.” 

Dakota was very, _very_ glad he wasn't the one driving then. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There ya go. I hope this was a fun read. I may add a bonus chapter or possibly part two with their date!

**Author's Note:**

> I didn't actually write this with the intention of having chapter breaks so sorry if they're a bit rough. Im a new writer and don't have a beta so if you see any issues feedback is appreciated!


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